I am sure it has been around, but I just read The 14 Defining Characteristics Of Fascism. I saw it at a different site, and posted a reply because some people were claiming that they have been to fascist places, and America is in no way fascist. After posting my reply, I thought I'd pop my diary cherry here with that post. I am so sorry...
The 14 Defining Characteristics Of Fascism
Sometimes reading sucks. Take a break, and click here to see a Flash presentation of the 14 characteristics!
Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia) and several Latin American regimes. Britt found 14 defining characteristics common to each:
- Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.
- Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.
- Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.
- Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.
- Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.
- Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.
- Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
- Religion and Government are Intertwined - Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.
- Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.
- Labor Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.
- Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked.
- Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.
- Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.
- Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.
My original post:
some of you are saying that you have been to other countries that are fascist, and that America is in no way fascist.
what you are ignoring is that a change from a roughly 232 year old democratic republic into a completely fascist nation is not going to happen in a few days, not even a few years. it had taken over 200 years to establish our nation as much as we had into a democratic republic, and we still aren't close to being perfect. we have been slipping towards fascism for over 5 years now; give it a few more decades at the present course.
the point is, all the actions being taken by this administration, with the aid of most of the republican party and even the backing of a sizeable number of democrats, are leading this nation TOWARDS a fascist existence. no, we are not at this moment and utterly fascist nation, but we ARE moving that way.
take the point regarding "control of the media", listed in those 14 characteristics of fascism. obviously, the US government does not absolutely control the media. but it has made inroads, striking inroads in the case of outlets like FOX News, towards presenting its agenda, information, and preference for the promotion of information that makes the government look good (aka propaganda). the so-called liberal media as a whole does a horrid job of actually reporting what the politicians are doing, the effects their policies are having, and the wholly unAmerican way in which this nation is being run.
take the God-awful flag burning amendment that comes up frequently. how is it possible that any thinking American can want to ban such an obvious right as making a statement against our governmet by burning the flag? how can burning the flag be at odds with the first amendment? how could any rational person feel that burning the flag could be a crime? what happens next? will it be illegal to burn a copy of the Constitution? will it be illegal to burn a state flag? how about a city or county flag? what about a picture of a president? where does it stop? that such an amendment is even considered by our legislative bodies, and supported by much of our public, is a scary indication that people are becoming more receptive to being controlled by the government. those are the same people who base their political views on gut feelings, rather on the laws America is supposed to be based on. these are the people who will accept fascism, and they are the same people who cannot see it raising its filthy head in America today.
yes, fascism is raising its ugly head today, right now, thrusting its filth directly from Washington DC across America, and around the worl. if one could assign a numerical value from 1-10 for each of the 14 fascist descriptors, and compare those value ratings for now versus any time over the past 200 years, our fascist leanings are higher now in almost every category than at any other time.
no, we are not a completely fascist state now. we are moving that way. but hell, we aren't as fascist as other countries, so who really cares, right? it's okay to be a little bit fascist, because Republicans are Religious and God is telling them how to run the government, and how could God possibly be wrong when he wants Republicans to tilt towards fascism?
those of you who think our government has not changed America for the worse since 2000 lack the cognitive ability to see the current right wing political agenda for what it is: an attempt to mass power, hold power, and exert power for their own betterment and enrichment.
wake the fuck up.